Heavy punishment for rape defendants urged

TANGERANG (JP): Dozens of activists from the Sexual Crimes Handling Network rallied at the district court here on Tuesday, demanding the court hand down heavy punishment to two Pakistanis charged with raping a local pregnant woman.

Unfurling banners in front of the court, the activists suggested that judges and prosecutors handling the case try to imagine such a nightmare befalling members of their own families.

The activists protested while the court was holding a closed trial of rape defendants Salim Bat and Shabir Ahmad.

The protesters claimed that the two defendants had raped the 27-year-old woman, SR, on March 21 in an empty house not far from her house in Pondok Cabe Udik, Pamulang.

Her lawyer, Safi'i, said he had asked the panel of judges led by Sitinjak to severely punish the foreign defendants.

"The defendants should be given a heavy punishment because when the defendants raped the victim, she was bearing her second child," Safi'i said.

According to the lawyer, the two defendants raped Siti after offering her a well-paid job at a kiosk in Sawangan, Bogor.

The defendants then instructed the woman to go to an intersection in the Gaplek area to meet someone who would give her a job, Safi'i said.

His client initially refused to go due to her pregnancy but the two insisted that if she wanted the job, she had to go that night, the lawyer said.

Finally, Siti decided to go to the intersection.

Not long after she arrived at the location, the two defendants arrived in a car driven by their driver, Safi'i said.

He added that the defendants then invited Siti to get into the car to go to another place to meet someone, who would give her the job.

Instead of meeting the woman with the other man, the two Pakistanis took her to an empty house and allegedly raped her, saying that her husband had borrowed Rp 8 million (US$960) from them.

Afterward, the defendants later drove her back to her house, Safi'i said.

Suffering pain in her stomach and genitalia, the victim then filed a report at the Jakarta Police Headquarters on June 27.

Safi'i said there was an attempt to blame the rape on the victim.

"We heard rumors that claimed my client had frequently hung out in shopping malls, which isn't true," Safi'i said.

Safi'i said that the woman was not able to attend the trial due to her weak condition after giving birth on Aug. 19.

Safi'i did not disclose details of the woman's husband or anything behind the alleged Rp 8 million debt.

The trial will continue next week to hear witnesses' statements. (41/jaw)